Media captionThieves remove wooden plaques from Orkney's nissen hut which was converted into a place of worship by prisoners of war

Three hand-carved wooden plaques have been stolen from Orkney's famous Italian Chapel.

The chapel was built during World War Two by Italian prisoners-of-war and has since become a tourist attraction.

Fourteen plaques were gifted by the chapel's creator Domenico Chiocchetti and his wife in 1964.

The Secretary of the Italian Chapel Preservation Society, John Muir, said the theft of the 'Stations of the Cross' plaques was "devastating".

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Three plaques were stolen from the Italian Chapel

The theft from the walls of the chapel was also condemned on social media.

The theft is thought to have happened sometime between 29 July and 12 August 2014.

Police Scotland appealed for anyone who may have taken digital photographs of the chapel interior between those dates - to help narrow down the timeframe - to send images and contact details to HighlandIslandMailKirkwall@scotland.pnn.police.uk

The plaques are approximately 6in by 8in with a small wooden cross on the top edge.

The three missing plaques are numerals IV, VI and X.

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The chapel was built by Italian prisoners.